Coral Pricing

[slojmn]

This is a great topic with wonderfully civil and mature conversation.

I am one of those folks that pays for what I like, for better or for worse. I will sell frags to others but usually for less than I bought and less than the vendors...I don't have a shop to run etc. I enjoy trading with other hobbyists so it is nice to have some worthwhile trade items. I have been interested in chalices for many years, for me not a passing fancy...but I did get caught up in the Micromussa craze BIG TIME a while back. I lost on the money end on that craze, they just didn't like my system. Live and learn. I do pick up what I love and I do look for unique and interesting corals, chalices or otherwise. I do love and hate the pictures because I cannot help but be drawn to those chalices that look sweet and hot to me. I will always be perusing the threads to see the beautiful stuff out there.

 

[Hypertek99]

I buy corals i like and the ones that have potential.

 

[Fish n' Frags]

I guess FnF isn't just your typical coral vendor though. YES, i do place orders with suppliers and take what i get and price them accordingly. BUT, i also consider myself more of a coral bounty hunter of sorts! I like to hunt down the pieces people and suppliers have tucked away in little cracks of there holding tanks that nobody has ever seen. Than i pay a large premium to acquire them. Then unfortunately for some, and fortunately for others i do charge an arm and a leg for them. Why not, it cost me a ton to get them. Also what makes us a little more pricey is that besides chalices and a very few colonies of acans i like to sell everything full colony, and i'm sorry, but making 20.00 on a colony just doesn't pay the bills. I'm fine with saying this, if i pay 79.00 for a really nice favia colony i'll post it for sale for $200 - $300 no problem. Sorry if that is expensive, but the alternative is selling small frags which i don't have the space to hold or the time to cut always. But if i did that it would amount to a whole lot more of a profit than what i'm charging for the full colony. So i'm actually giving up free money to turn over product. I don't think thats greed at all.

 

[mpoletti]

I personally like your style Matt I am a coral connoisseur myself so I appreciate the mentality.

 

[Ian]

The vendors need their crack. They cut up the crack and then they sell it to the crack heads. The wholesales know that prices will continue to go up because the vendors are paying more and more. They need to make a profit so they pass it along to consumers.

Did someone say crack?? :tongue:

 

[Fish n' Frags]

I personally like your style Matt I am a coral connoisseur myself so I appreciate the mentality.

Mark, i think we'd get along quite nicely if our paths ever crossed! :angel:

 

[chadfarmer]

whatever, it is is the fault of the consumers

now the thing that drives me nuts is when they post future TYREE LE

 

[Fish n' Frags]

The thing that drives me nuts is when they post future TYREE LE

lol, Yep... agreed

 

[mpoletti]

Did someone say crack?? :tongue:

C'mon pookie

 

[mpoletti]

now the thing that drives me nuts is when they post future TYREE LE

Especially when the high end market isn't cornered by one souce.

 

[mpoletti]

Mark, i think we'd get along quite nicely if our paths ever crossed! :angel:

Maybe it should :tongue:

 

[KEEPERZ]

Quit sucking up Mark, it's a bad look-I hate your style Matt but I am looking forward to seeing my FEDEX man tomorrow:xd:-:tongue:

 

[SDguy]

whatever, it is is the fault of the consumers

now the thing that drives me nuts is when they post future TYREE LE

How does that work? Is that by poeple that literaly know it will be taken by Tyree (which is, what, reeffarmer?) and labeled LE? Have no idea....so asking

 

[SaraB]

How does that work? Is that by poeple that literaly know it will be taken by Tyree (which is, what, reeffarmer?) and labeled LE? Have no idea....so asking

That's what I am assuming ... it's a future Tyree LE or AE coral.

 

[mpoletti]

Quit sucking up Mark, it's a bad look-

Ouch :nerd:

 

[KEEPERZ]

:matrix::kiss:

 

[surfn]

just out of curiousity, when someone starts up a coral selling business, whether it be exclusively online, or run as a LFS in town......what kind of salary do you guys expect to pull in to make it worth your time and effort?

i realize this largely depends on success of the store as well, and probably a huge difference b/w salary of a online store vs. a LFS.

 

[Fish n' Frags]

There is no such salary that could justify the labor involved doing this.. Speaking for myself only, i am a one man operation on the operations end of it all and most days are wake to sleep with pictures, website, sales, answering emails and PMs, local customers, packaging and shipping, ordering, fragging, accounting, ......... ugh, talking about it makes me hate it.... but i don't, i love it.

 

[Znut Reefer]

I agree with some on the crazy prices of chalices, and also the sps corals. I usually buy what I like and if the price is within reason. The last chalice I bought was the Bazooka Joe. And thats been a few yrs ago. All the chalices I have, I worked out trades for. I usually buy because I like and think I can work out trades for what I want later.
I can understand some of the high pricing that some LFS charge. But not insane pricing for chalices that may or may not keep their color. I think it's mainly up to us to buy or not buy. I think the love and share part of the hobby has been forgotten. I don't buy many of either, I usually work out trades for what I want. I think it's going to be interesting down the road. These high priced chalices and sps won't be worth what people paid crazy prices for later. Time will tell.

 

[sailfish]

I have no problem with you or anyone else making money. Heck I want you to otherwise you will go out of business and I can't get your nice corals.:bigsmile: I just think some are overpriced for the size of coral you get. I think if you can not cut a 1" frag of something then it should not be cut.:snicker:

I can't really discuss this with you Matthew because it's really about your business model more then about your corals. There are many different business models one can follow. Yours may be the best one it may not only time will tell. If your here in a few years then you were right.

As for your example one could also take that coral and cut it up. Sell it for a 50% mark up and then move on to the next one. I would imagen that the more you sell the more you could buy, the more you buy the better stuff you supplier would offer.

I could be wrong as I do not run a store.

One could also cut out the middle man and import yourself.

I have nothing against you of any store owner specifically I just want all the nice coral I can get. I do not like dishonesty or some tactics I see in this industry.

I often wounder if people who post corals on their website but do not post a price for a day are two are just trying to see how many PMs they get about the coral before setting an actual price.

I also think that is the reason some people post updates on this site before they even post their corals on their site. If they get a lot of PMs they jack up the price. Heck half the time corals are sold before they even make it to the site. I never get a chance at it. Dam you guys. LOL Something about this does not sit right with me.

Now that I have ticked off all the guys with the best corals I will quit before no one will sell me corals.:squigglemouth:

Joe

I going to be a real butt here but looks like I may have been right after all. I do hope you land back on you feet and everything works out for you Matthew.

Joe